Monitoring the ocelot population in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

South Texas is home to the last remaining reproductive ocelot Leopardus pardalis populations in the USA. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge hosts the southernmost Texas ocelot population, located in the eastern portion of Cameron County. The refuge has ongoing efforts to acquire, protect, and revegetate more areas in the Rio Grande Valley to promote ocelot habitat and increase connectivity of ocelot populations. To be strategic in these efforts, we monitored refuge ocelot population dynamics using remote field cameras and live-trap captures. Over the course of 10 yr, we collected photographic data from 184 camera locations and carried out 22145 box trap-nights across the refuge to identify individuals based on their unique coat patterns and thereby maintain an ongoing population count. From January 2011 to December 2020, 40 ocelots were identified, and the monthly population ranged from 11-18 ocelots. This continuous observation and identification of individuals shows the persistence of the ocelot population at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Monitoring of the refuge ocelot population is an imperative step in the conservation and survival of this federally listed endangered species.